Lyla, Sonny Jude’s sister, at the pancake breakfast

My son, Sonny Jude, went unresponsive (stopped breathing and his precious heart stopped beating) at six months old.  His babysitter saw this and performed CPR and resuscitated him.  It was then we learned that Sonny Jude has LQTS (Long QT Syndrome).  In October 2022, when he was 13 months old, I put him down for a nap and he didn’t wake up.

My baby boy, Sonny Jude was the most loving, sweet, bright soul I’ve ever known.  In his short life, he made such an impact on everyone who had the honor of knowing him.  His smile would light up a room, he only ever knew love and happiness.  He loved waving to everyone. He loved laughing, smiling, playing, being outside, swinging, playing in the splash pad, snuggling, climbing stairs, his dogs, Paw Patrol, Bluey, french fries, and most importantly being around the people he loved. Sonny Jude especially loved his big sister Lyla, they were the best of friends, he loved learning from her and playing with his big sister.  His first word was “Lyla” or as he said “Wy-wa.”

My favorite memory of Sonny Jude is actually the whole summer before he passed.  We spent nearly every day at his grandparent’s house, playing on the splash pad or in their little pool with his big sister, Lyla.  Splashing in the water, sitting on the swing with us, lounging on the lawn, plucking blades of grass and offering them to us or the dogs, and always waving ‘hi’ to everyone for every occasion.

I’m trying to transition my grief and devastation into something positive.  Sonny Jude was a happy boy, and I want to put some of that positive and loving energy back into my community to bring awareness to arrhythmias, and how important learning CPR is. 

Sonny was always up early and loved pancakes, so it seemed right for our first fundraiser to be a Pancake Breakfast on February 19, 2022.  We wanted to raise funds and awareness for the SADS Foundation, and put fliers out at Lyla’s school, dance studio, and the local YMCA.

February 19th I held my first fundraiser, the first I’ve ever done. The SADS Foundation is specific to what my little Sonny Jude had, and they’ve been so helpful in assisting me with fundraising.

CPR is so important.  A 16 year old babysitter that had taken CPR revived Sonny In March 2021.  It doesn’t matter how old you are when learning CPR, as every second counts when you can save a life.

My goal with the Sonny Jude Foundation is to educate the general public about heart arrhythmia syndromes, bring awareness to the importance of CPR and to bring joy to others through a variety of fundraisers, projects, volunteer work and also through random acts of kindness, specifically with our “Have a Sonny Day” project. I look forward to making our Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser annual, and look forward to continuing working with SADS.